Machine for compacting material in containers



Jan. 4, 194%. H. v. KINDSETH MACHINE FOR COMPACTING MATERIAL IN CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 26, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 hmsxvrox Meow MMNDSETH Wm g ,,T .r n

Jam. 4, 149., H. v. KINDSETH.

MACHINE FOR COMPACTING MATERIAL IN CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 26, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATToEA/E vs 4 Sheets-Sheet s H T E S D m K V MACHINE FOR COMPACTING MATERIAL IN CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 26, 1946 AVVENTOR flow MNDSETH Arrow/wens H. V. KINDSETH MACHINE FOR COMPACTING MATERIAL IN CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 26, l946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 i N w w l 7 w @i 5 & E m, I 1 ii 1 7 v u w a S 4 I 5 w AVVENTOR HAROL o M/(INOSE TH Patented Jan. 4, 1949 MACHINE FOR COMPACTING MATERIAL- IN CONTAINERS Harold V. Kindseth, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Bemis Bro. Bag Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Missouri Application January 26, 1946, Serial No. 643,573

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in machines or apparatus for settling and compacting material, such as flour and other finely ground or pulverized materials, in flexible walled containers, bags, and the like, prior to closing and sealing the open tops of the containers.

An object of the present invention is to provide, in combination with a bag shaker or vibrating means of the general class disclosed in the patents to D. Belcher et al., 1,995,271 and 2,234,953, means mounted for traveling movement with the bags adapted to intermittently engage and indent opposite sides of the bag bodies, as the bags travel through the machine, thereby to cause the contents of the bag bodies to become more firmly settled therein.

A further object is to provide a machine for compacting the contents of a bag body, comprising a conveyor belt for advancing the bags through the machine, and side belts being provided adjacent to the conveyor belt having vertically dispo'sed cleats thereon, and means being provided in conjunction with the side belts for imparting a patting action thereto, whereby the cleats on the side belts will indent the walls of the bag bodies to successively displace portions of the material in the bags, the patting action imparted to the bag bodies bythe side belts cooperating with the vibratory action imparted to the bag bodies by the conveyor belt to cause the contents of the bags to quickly become firmly settled :;therein, whereby as the bags are discharged from the machine, the open tops thereof may be closed and sealed with the assurance that the walls of the sealed bag bodies will retain their I shapes and will not be likely to become loose and shapeless, as when the material is not firmly compacted in the bag bodies before the tops thereof are sealed.

A further and more specific object of the invention resides in the combination with a conveyor belt having means for imparting a vibratory action thereto to shake the filled bags in rapid succession, comprising opposed side belts mounted for traveling movement with the conveyor belt, and each side thereof having a plurality of vertically disposed cleats secured thereto in spaced relation lengthwise of the belt, and a backing plate or member being provided for each side belt having means for imparting a horizontal motion thereto in opposed relation to one another, which horizontal motion is sufiicient to cause said plate members to intermittently move into and out of contact with the side belts to 2 Claims. (Cl. 259-72) thereby impart a patting action thereto, which, in turn, is transmitted to opposite walls of the bag bodies by the side belts, the cleats carried by said .side belts indenting the walls of the bag bodies along vertical areas, whereby they are constantly displacing portions of the contents of the bag bodies to cause the material to become more firmly settled therein as the bags are vibrated by the conveyor belt, said cleats also functioning to keep the bags in upright positions as they travel through the machine, and whereby should one of the bags be slightly canted in a forward or rearward direction, such canted bag will immediately be straightened or squared with the conveyer so that the axes of the bag bodies will be disposed in substantially right angles to the horizontal conveyer belt.

Other objects of the invention reside in the arrangement of the cleated side belts with re- 'spect to the horizontal conveyer belt, whereby the side belts continuously impart a patting action to the bag bodies as they advance through the machine, which action, in combination with the vibratory action imparted to the bag bodies, will cause the contents of the bag bodies to become firmly settled therein in a comparatively short space of time, whereby the overall length of the machine may be reduced to a minimum to conserve floor space; in the arrangement and construction of the side belts whereby they act to square or align the bags on the conveyer; and in the provision of such an apparatus which is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction, and wherein all of the parts are readily accessible, whereby the apparatus lends itself for manufacture at minimum cost.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown, as various changes maybe made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the upper portion of the machine showing the relationship between the horizontal conveyer belt and the cleated side belts;

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1, showing the side belts in their innermost positions whereby their respective side belts in position to impart a patting action thereto;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a portion of one of the side belts showing one way of forming the cleats thereon:

Figure is a cross-sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figures 1 and 2, on a larger scale, and with some of the parts omitted, showing the driving means for the side belt backing plates or members;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view on the lines 6-5 of Figures 1 and 2, on a larger scale, showing the driving means for the side belts; and

Figure '7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the horizontal'movement imparted to the backing plates to cause them to impart a patting action to the side belts.

In the selected embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, there is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, for purposes of disclosure, a machine for compacting material in containers, the supporting frame of which is very similar to those disclosed in the patents hereinbefore mentioned.

Briefly, the supporting frame comprises longitudinally extending frame members 2 and 3 supported upon suitable legs 4 adapted to rest upon a floor or suitable foundation, and preferably having a longitudinally extending tie member 5 connecting together the lower portions thereof. A horizontally disposed conveyor belt 6 is mounted on rollers l and 8 provided respectively at the receiving and discharge ends of the machine. The rollers and 8 are so arranged that the upper run of the belt 6 is adapted to receive the filled bags as they are delivered to the machine from the left hand end thereof, when viewed as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

A fixed supporting plate 9 is interposed between the frame members 2 and 3 at the receiving end of the machine, as shown in Figure 1, and a. relatively shorter belt supporting plate II is provided at the discharge end of the machine adjacent to the roller 8.

The lower run of the conveyer belt 6 is supported on idler rollers l2 and I3, and a-belt adlusting pulley [4 may be provided at the receiv-,

ing end of the machine for tensioning the belt 6, as will be understood by reference to Figure 1. The belt may be driven by a suitable chain drive 15 connecting the; shaft l6 of the pulley 8 with a suitable speed reducer, generally indicated by the numeral I1. I

The speed reducer i1 is driven through a suitable coupling from a shaft l9 having its intermediate portion mounted in a suitable housing 2| and its opposite end provided with a coupling 22 connecting it to one end of a suitable shaft 23 having a crank 24 supported within a suitable housing 25, as shown in Figure 1. The shaft 23 is shown supported in suitable bearings 26 and 21, and may be driven from a motor 28 through a suitable drive 29.

A shaft 3! is connected to the opposite end of the shaft 23 and has a crank 24 mounted in the housing 25 similar to the shaft 23 provided adjacent the discharge end of the machine. A suitable coupling 32 connects the shaft 3| with the shaft 33 mounted in the housing 34, and the opposite end of which has a coupling 35 connecting it to a shaft 36 of a speed reducer 31 similar to the one shown end of the machine. l

The cranks 24 of the shafts 23 and 3|, respectively, have connecting rods 38 connecting them to a horizontally disposed shaker frame, generally designated by the numeral 39, which, has an upper longitudinally extending plate 4| providing a support for the intermediate portions of the upper run of the conveyer belt 6, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1. Secured to the bottom of the frame 39 are cylindrical portions 42 which are guidlngly supported in suitable guides 43 provided in the housings 25. These guides guidingly support the frame 39 for limited movement in a vertical direction, when the cranks 24 are rotated, thereby to impart a vibratory action to the conveyer belt 6, as is well known.

The means for thus imparting a vibratory or shaking action to the conveyer belt 8 is shown at H at the opposite and described in detail in the patents hereina before mentioned, and therefore need not be described in further detail in the present application.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the means provided in conjunction with the vibrating mechanism for causing the contents of the bags to settle more firmly therein, as the bags travel through the machine.

The means provided for thus causing the material to become more firmly settled in the bags is shown comprising a pair of side belts 44 and 45, mounted upon suitable rollers 48 and 41, provided at the receiving and discharge ends respectively of the machine. Suitable means such as indicated at 48 in Figures 1 and 2, is provided for tensioning the side belts 44 and 45, as will be understood.

The rollers 46 provide the drive means for the side belts and may be driven from a cross shaft 49 having driving connections with the rollers through suitable gears 5|. The shaft 49 is shown provided with a sprocket 52 having a chain 53 which is driven from the speed reducer 31, shown in Figures 1 and 6.

Means is provided for causing the belts to impart a patting action to the bag bodies as they are moved through the machine, and is shown comprising opposed backing plates or members 6| arranged to engage the outer surfaces of the inner runs 62 of the side belts, as best shown in Figures 2 and 5. The backing plates 6i are adjustably mounted upon a pair of longitudinally extending rails 63 by suitable brackets 64, shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5, whereby the spacing therebetween may be varied in accordance with the size of bags to be passed through the-machine. Bolts are receivable in slots in the brackets 64 for effecting such lateral adjustment of the backing plates 6 i.

To cause the backing plates to impart a patting action to the side belts 62, means is provided for imparting a horizontal rotary motion to the backing plates, as diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 7. The means provided for thus imparting a limited horizontal movement to the backing plates BI is shown comprising suitable eccentrics 66 mounted on the upper ends of upright shafts 61 shown supported in bearings 68 and 69. The lower ends of the shafts 51 adjacent the receiving end of the machine, are shown driven from the shaft 33 by a worm gear drive, generally designated by the numeral 1|, having suitable trains or gears 12 and 13 connecting it with the shafts 61.

The cross shaft 49 and the upright shafts 54 of the rollers 46 are mounted in suitable brackets II which in turn are adiustably securedto a supporting plate 66 by suitable belts or screws 61, movable in slots 68 in the plate 68, whereby the spacing s between the rollers 46 may be varied 'to adapt the machine for handling bag bodies vertically disposed cleats or indenting elements 69 which are spaced apart lengthwise of the side belts, as best shown in Figures 2 and 3. The inner or adjacent runs 82 or the'side belts, it will be noted by reference to Figures 2 and 3, are preferably disposed in parallel relation to the conveyer belt 6, whereby they will engage opposite sides of the bag bodies with substantially uniform pressure the length of the side belts. In some cases it may be found more desirable or effective to so position the backing plates that the lateral pressure exerted against the bag bodies by the side belts may be relatively greater at one end of the machine than at the other. This may readily be accomplished by manipulation of the bolts Bil-and 51, as will be understood by reference to Figures 5 and 6.

A similar oscillatory movement is imparted to the backing plates at the discharge end of the machine by similar eccentrics 66 driven in a manner similar to that shown in Figure 5, but from the shaft l 9 shown supported in the housing 2| at the discharge end of the machine.

The outer runs of the side belts are shown guidingly supported by vertically spaced longitudinally extending upper and lower guides 16 and 75, best shown in Figure 5. The lower guides i5- are shown secured to longitudinally extending angle bars l6, which in turn are secured to the lower ends of upright supporting brackets 71, shown in Figure 5. The upper guides 74 are similarly secured to the brackets 'l'i by angle brackets 78. ,Vertically disposed rollers 16 are provided at the ends of the guide members 74 and 56 at each side of the machine, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2,- to guide the belt runs into and out of the guides id and i5.

Suitable guides 19 may be provided at the receiving end of the machine to facilitate guiding the filled bags onto the conveyer belt 6.

Operation In the operation of the novel machine herein disclosed, the filled bags are delivered onto the conveyer belt 6 at the receiving end of the machine, and, as they are advanced thereby, the

inner runs 62 of the side belts will engage and impart to the opposite walls of the bag bodies a patting action, as a result of the oscillatory or horizontal movement of the backing plates 6i. Simultaneously, asthe side belts continue to tap or pat the side belts, a shaking action in a verticalcllrection is imparted to the bag bodies, as a result of the vibratory action imparted to the plate 4| by the cranks 24.

The spacing between the side belts is such that when the backing plates iii are in their outermost positions, as shown in full lines in Figure 3, and dotted lines in Figure 7, the cleats 59 of the side belts may only slightly touch the walls of the bag bodies. When the backing plates Si settle into the bag bodies.

are in their innermost positions, as shown for example in Figure 2, the side'belts slightly compress the bag bodies therebetween and simultaneously the cleats indent portions of the walls of the bag bodies to displace portions of their contents and form fissures therein, which action, in combination with the vibratory action imparted to the bag bodies, will permit air entrained with the flour or contents to readily escape therefrom without spouting" of the contents, and whereby the contents of the bags will more firmly This action is repeatedin rapid succession as the bags advance through the machine so that by the time the bags reach the discharge end thereof, the contents of thebag bodies will have become firmly settled therein, whereby the bag tops may be closed and sealed with the assurance that the bag walls will not become loose from subsequent handling of the bags.

In addition to causing the contents of the bag bodies to become more firmly settled therein, the patting action imparted to the bag bodies as they are being vibrated by the conveyer belt 6, also serves to square or align the bags in the conveyer, whereby the axis of the bag bodies will be disposed in substantially right angular relation to theconveyer belt 6, which is important to assure that all bag bodies will be uniformly shaped.

The side belts 62 and conveyer belt 6 may be operated at the same traveling speed, if desired, or the conveyer belt 6 may be operated at a slightly faster traveling speed than the side belts, thereby to compensate for slippage between the conveyer belt 6 and the bottoms of the bags as a result of the vibratory action imparted to the bags which, it will be understood, causes the belt 6 to actually move out of contact with the bottoms of the bags on the downward movement of the, vibrating plate i I.

The combined patting and vibratory actions imparted to the bag bodies may be compared with the manual method of settling the contents of a bag by frequently dropping the bag in an upright position upon a table top and at the same time patting the side walls thereof with the hands.

Suitable means, not shown, may be provided for varying the speed of the side belts relative to the speed of the conveyer belt, if desired. From actual experience, however, I have found that for a given product, as for example flour, the conveyer belt 6 may be operated at a slightly higher traveling speed than the side belts. The side belts 62 may be so adjusted with respect to the sides of the bag bodies that they will actually control the feeding of the bags through the machine, due to the cleats 59 continually intermittently engaging and. indenting the bag walls as a result of the patting action imparted to the side belts by the backing plates 6|.

The present ma'chine distinguishes from the structures disclosed in the above mentioned patents in that the means for engaging and intermittently indenting the walls of the bag bodies travels with the bags. The action imparted by the belt runs 62, in combination with the vibratory action imparted to the conveyer belt 6,, is such that finely comminuted or pulverized materials, such as flour, and many other products, may be readily compacted in the bags without danger of-the material "spouting" from the bags as a result of air which m'aybe entrained therewith and which is forcedout when applying pressure against the bag walls.

The cleats l9 and backing plates 8| are so arranged with respect tothe bag bodies that thepressure imparted to the bag bodies is not sufand shape.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art I that I have accomplished at least the principal objects of my invention, and it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments herein described may be variously changed and modified without departing from 8 cause said cleats to intermittently indent the walls of the bag bodies to partially displace portions of the contents thereof whereby the contents of the bag bodies will become more firmly settled therein.

2. In a machine of zontal conveyor belt or advancing filled bags through the machine, side belts for the conveyor having vertically disposed cleats thereon spaced apart lengthwise of the belt and adapted to engage opposite sides of the bag bodies, means for moving said belts at similar speeds, means for imparting a vibratory action to the conveyor belt in a vertical direction, backing plate members engageable with the outer surfaces of the side belts, and means for periodically imparting a limited lateral motion to said plate members whereby they will simultaneously impart patting actions to the side belts and, in turn, impart a the spirit of the invention, and thatthe invention is capable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described; hence it will bear:- preciated that the herein disclosed embodiments are illustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the class described, a conveyor belt for advancing filled bags through the machine, opposed side belts, vertically disposed cleats on the side belts adapted to engage the bag bodies, and means engageable with the outer surfaces of the side belts for periodically moving said side belts inwardly to impart a patting action to opposite sides of the bag bodies and to REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe Iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,995,271 Belcher et a1. Mar. 19, 1935 2,119,174 Nicolas May 31, 1938 2,234,953 Belcher et a1. Mar. 10, 1941 the class described, a hori- HAROLD v. KIND-SETH. 

